there dont seem to be any rules, so i'm pretty sure i'm not breaking any ^^; but if i am, then close the thread or something~

art majors: i have a couple questions since i'm seriously thinking about art and plan to go to an art college.

what is it like? what kind of things do you do there? what kind of assignments do you do? what are you majoring in? how hard is it? is it fun? is it worth all the money? also, which art college do you think is the best? (please dont just say yours because you go there, i'd like legit reasons please 8D)
i live in DC metro area, so i'm hoping to go to one on the east coast.

one of my friends goes to VCU for art...but she parties alot so the only thing i get from her is "i need more sleep."

also, how many competitions/contests did you enter? what kinds of things were in your portfolio? what kinds of things would look good on an application? did you take AP art in highschool? what'd you get on the exam?

i did try asking my friend, but she's just "dont worry, you'll be able to get in."
but that doesn't answer my questions. and i'm not really all that confident, because i know that there are SO MANY people who are better than me out there.

LOL i'm sorry i have so many questions, but i'm really curious :P
thanks to anyone who can help ^^;

woooah, eaaasyy theere!!
hehh, well, i only applied to art schools, and ive attended two of them, i'll try to answer your questions hehh, a "couple" questions you say? x]
what are you majoring in? - advertising design
what is it like? what kind of things do you do there? what kind of assignments do you do? - basically, your main focus is art. academics come veeeerry far behind, theyre almost a joke. its all art classes. what you do and what assignments you get depends on the school. many private schools (such as pratt, which i attended for a yr), pile you up with fine-arts classes your first year as your foundation, so you get drawing hw (perpective, live model, etc), painting hw (color theory, lighting effects, etc), make 3D models, etc. I go to FIT, and im not sure if its because its a public school, but the foundation courses are very straightforward. LOTS of design problems, design a book, design an ad, learn how to use type, diff design programs, etc.
how hard is it? - not too hard. not a LOT of brain work, but a LOT of hand work. sometimes a little more brain work than often. i dont know how your friend as time to party, but either way, many of my assignments take a heelllllaaa long time, so yea, it IS hard, when im up till 3am and i have class at 8 x[
is it fun? - depends on the class, the assignment, the teachers, etc. its interesting, i can say that much. not sure if school is ever fun though...
is it worth all the money? - honestly, i dont feel private art colleges are worth the money. they give you a good education, but its a hella lotta money. which is why i transferred out of a private art school and into a public one.
which art college do you think is the best? - its all subjective.. .. .. .....

how many competitions/contests did you enter? - none....or maybe 1, i dont know, but probably none....
what kinds of things were in your portfolio? - i went to an art h.s., so i had portfolio pieces from there. i had mostly paintings, some sculpture, some pencil drawings. all my best stuff.
what kinds of things would look good on an application? - good grades. but theyre MAIN focus is portfolio. and maybe an audition.
did you take AP art in highschool? what'd you get on the exam? - AP art history, got a 3 x]

hope this helps. good luck with applying!!!

ah, thanks for answering. i'm glad to at least get some one's POV. i was afraid no one would.

my school used to have AP art history, but not many people signed up for it, so they stopped. they might do it again next year, so me and my friend signed up for it, but i highly doubt they'll have a two person class. what was the exam like? did you take a multiple choice test?

and about the private vs. public school: my mom wants me to go to corcoran or mica because they're private, and she says that if i'm gonna major in art, then i should go to a private school because those look better? lol, idk. she' korean...so yeah. asian parents XD.

i was thinking about commercial design (is that the same as advertising design? because they sound synonymous)

but you're lucky to have gone to an art hs. the art program at my school sucks, and my teacher is really lazy. so i go to an art hagwon after school.

also, a couple art colleges have visited my school, (mica, risd, the art institute, chicago) and they all seem really nice, but of course they all make their college seem the best because they want you to go there, but i seemed to like mica the best. i'm going to their open house on april 6th. mica's actually the college i want to go to because it's not that far from where i live, and it was the first art college i ever heard of, so it sort of left a good impression on me.

but fine art really isn't my thing. i like sketching and painting/coloring, but i'm not really detailed, and my unofficial ADD makes me pay attention to things in a piece that doesn't really matter XD

and when i think about the job options for some one who does do art, it almost scares me at how little there is. my aunt was trying to talk me out of doing art because i'm good at math, (ohhhbut this year proved me wrong. calculus was a bad idea T_T) and fine artists make paintings, and have to get recognized by one of those art directors or something, so their art can be shown in a gallery. but commercial/advertising artists can get jobs at companys and stuff.

lol as if it wasn't confusing enough, i might go into fashion...but i'm not sure. is there any one here that does fashion? because i like drawing and thinking of ideas, i just can't cut out the fabric and sew it together. i tried doing it once and i failed miserably T_T.

again, thanks to everyone who even read this...because i'm being completely incoherent and my posts are very unorganized :D

hey =] i usually don't post very often, much less this section, but i've been in your situation and i know how much it means to get some insight and perspectives from those who are walking similar paths. and just a bit of a foreword, i was a biochemistry major through my first 1.5 years of college before i decided to make the leap over to graphic design. i then spent a year another 1.5 years at a community college to do my foundation classes and build my portfolio. my CCA portfolio consisted of a few pencil drawings/renderings, 3D pieces, photographs, and some advertising/design pieces as well.

i got into california college of the arts (CCA) in san francisco, and i can honestly say the difference between my previous art education at my community college and CCA are night and day. i don't have any experience with other schools, but i can say that we concentrate heavily on concept-driven ideas. after i read your first post, i asked myself the same question pepprmint asked, "how in the world does your friend have time to party?!" my schedule's pretty similar to pepprmint's; i go to class 12 hrs/day a few days a week, then go home and pretty much work on projects 'til 2 or 3 am too. i recently calculated the number of hours i put into class and homework each week for the last month and i came to an average of ~75 hours/week. if that's not madness, i don't know what is but i can say that i'm absolutely loving the education i'm getting here and that my skills and aesthetics have grown exponentially. school's definitely a challenge, but it's your time to experiment and grow, and it's up to you to really dive in and make it all happen.

like pepprmint said, art schools are going to build your foundation on the basic courses, and the academic courses will follow. the academic courses are also geared towards artists/designers and either a lot easier or at the very least art/design-related in content. i'm currently taking 5 classes and i don't even have enough time for my main three. it's not uncommon that people will only concentrate on their major courses. in the real world people are going to care more about your portfolio and work than your college grades. just gotta know how to pick and choose your battles.

i'll agree that private art schools are ridiculously expensive, but whether or not they're worth it is really subjective. i have a ton of friends who transferred from risd, pratt, and parsons and said that they're getting significantly more at CCA. be more concerned with the faculty that's teaching than whether the school is public or private. all of CCA's instructors are practicing professionals. i get a lot of financial help from the school though, getting about $25,000 in grants and scholarships per year. then it's just a matter of coming up with the other $15,000 each year, but i feel in the long run, it'll be worth it.

and as for contests and competitions, i haven't participated in any. i took a basic art class in 7th and 10th grades, but aside from that, no formal art education before college. it's been a lot of work, but hard work pays off. your aunt's right that it's a pretty competitive and saturated field, but if you're got the charisma, ambition, diligence, and passion, it shouldn't be a problem at all.

oooh brusky. i've seen your art in the artwork section and i think you're amazing XD [/fangirl]

lol, will you ever come back? (since you said you dont visit here often) how did your parents feel when you made the decision to switch majors like that? and i mean, biochem to art...is a HUGE leap. but as long as you love what you do :D

well, abou the partying thing: maybe she just doesn't want to give me a thorough explanation on what she does/how it's like because we only get to see each other for maybe a day on holidays on her breaks, and we're busy talking about other things XD but she was telling me about this one project for her interior design class, and she worked ALOT on it, and all her fingers and hands were cut up because it had to be made from wood/anything you could find at home depot.

and about the portfolio being more important than the grades: grading in art college would be subjective, wouldn't it? unless it's obvious that you did it last minute, and didn't really try, then the professor would easily give you a bad grade, but since art is mostly about expressing yourself, there is no right or wrong...so uh...i dont know where i'm going with this :x LOL. but yeah....?

so CCA's instructors are like, new professors? since you said they were "practicing professionals" i'm not entirely sure what that means. (do you pay for your own tuition? or do your parents help you a bit? do you have time to actually get a job where you can work enough hours to get that kind of money?)

lol, i keep asking more questions XD thanks to everyone who reads/posts ^^;

hehe thanks. i usually do a decent job of going back to threads i've posted in although it usually takes a few days haha. my parents were actually pretty supportive actually (and they weren't the kinds of asian parents that forced me into biochem [that was my own decision]). in fact, they even told me that they weren't sure about what i actually liked: science or art. my mom told me whenever she used to take me to the doctor's office, i'd always stare at all the posters. she wasn't sure if i was more attracted to the physiology or the aesthetics =]

as for grading in art school, i wanna say that it's both subjective and objective. i mean, of course the content and style will be personal, but there are technical things that can be assessed such as technical skill improvement, composition, personal development/growth, successful completion of project objectives, etc. you can't just have all ideas or all skills; you're going to be expected to develop both.

as for CCA instructors, they're not necessarily new, but rather the majority of them are part-time since they're busy with their regular jobs. teaching is just something they're doing extra, but it's great to have'em even if they each only teach a class or two per semester. they provide valuable insight into the real working world and educate us in a way that preps us for that.

paying for tuition, i'd like that think that i'm paying a large portion of it myself through grants and scholarships. the total cost for 3 years is ~$120,000 and i'm getting $75,000 in scholarships and aid. both my parents and i took out loans to cover the other $45,000. >_< and no, no time for a job. i'm taking 5 classes, but i only concentrate my efforts towards my main 3. the other two i'd be fine with whatever grade as long as i pass, although i still strive for the straight As. the thought of a job is pure insanity at this stage for me haha. i'd much rather take out loans and spend my extra time studying and learning because that's what's gonna make me successful later. working now would only take away time from studies and hinder my learning experience and at the end of it all, i'd have nothing.

lol i'm stalking my own thread ._.


ohhh lol. i'm glad your parents were supportive. my mom and dad are pretty supportive. my dad still wants me to be a doctor/lawyer since he's that kinda guy...but my aunt wants me to go in engineering or the math field because she says i'm good in math...lol. but yeah.

oh, thanks for the grading...advice? i wanna call it advice, but i'm not completely sure. but those things are definetly important to grades and such.

and just wondering, since you spent 3 years total in biochem and building a portfolio in a community college, what year of college are you in now? you dont have to answer if you dont want to XD just curious.

what is your major? i'm assuming photography/graphic design? since you're holding a camera...and you post in the artwork section XD. and for the fine art classes, when a representative from an art college came to my school, they said that there were some classes where you draw for six hours. does anyone else take this, and know what it's like?

one of my art teachers was telling me about how she used to be able to work a summer full time job and be able to pay for a semester of tuition T_T

Advertising is pretty competitive, well... all fields are competitive. But for advertising, its important to be knowledgeable in all fields-- graphics, photo, and illustration/fine arts, because you will have to deal with alot of different types of art in advertising. Its fine if you are not great at producing all the art, you just have to have an eye for them and be able to back up what you think. The foundation ad students in my school are taking alot of the same classes with graphics major, like type and design, plus communication/art direction classes.
The classes are different in different schools. The vibe is different in different schools too, some are party schools some are more serious. lol I think its best you visit the school you are thinking about going into.
For admission, its good to be well rounded, and have good grades because it shows that you are responsible at what you do. But the portfolio is most important, I am sure all schools will post there portfolio requirement their website. The safe bet is to be clean and professional, focus on you artwork.
I felt the same way when I was applying for schools, that there are some many people who are so much better... and its true. But there are also many people who are worst. lol Just relax, do your thing, if they don't like it, at least you are being true to yourself.

Oh yeah, some art forums are pretty helpful too. The conceptart forum has an art school section, you can browse around there to get some inside info.

^ thanks for the artforum. i'm checking it out ^^;

but for the portfolio requirements, i tried looking at mica's website, but i failed and couldn't find anything. then i googled "mica portfolio requirements" and got "mica portfolio day" and all that gave me was the date and place for something that had already happened.

is there any other way i can find the port. req?

http://www.mica.edu/ADM/undergrad/portfolio/transfer.cfm
Did you look here? I think its a pretty good description. lol
Some school want a more specialized portfolio, some just like to see if you have any work. If you can't find enough info, call in and annoy them. lol There are portfolio req. in different sites too. You can do it the old caveman way and google it. lol But I think its best you get the info from the school.

^ oh, i saw that, but what i meant, was like... a list of reqs. this art hagwon that i go to has this list. there's about four still life pencil drawings, some acrylic, pointilism, things like that. i was jsut wondering if we needed a minimum of anything. because they (teachers at the hagwon) said that you NEED it in your portfolio.

and isn't the link you gave me for transfer students? wouldn't it be different for new freshman?

If they didn't list it I don't think they require it. But its good to include work w/ different types of medium, just to show you are well rounded and like to explore. Honestly, my portfolio wasn't really well rounded at all. lol It was just pencils, gouache, watercolor and ink. But my school wanted the actual work, not copies, so thats all I can put in really.

hey orangebubbles i'll talk along too
i've been thinking about artschool for a bit. maybe for photography? but yeah, i totally agree that i'm not quite sure what i'd do if i was to major in fine arts. photography might be a little easier to get commissions and jobs etc. but if i was just to draw and paint :/ eek i'd be worried.

mica seems really good and i really wanted to do their summer camps but of course all summer camps have to be super expensive. and interlochen camps too : ( what's an art hagwon if you dont mind me asking?

^ oh lol XD art hagwon is sort of like an after school thing. kinda like those after school SAT prep things, but for art.

oh, you're going to mica's summer thing? i was thinking about that, but i wanted to get a jab or do summer school over the summer. are you gonna go to their open house on april 6th? i am~ if you go maybe we'll bump into each other 8D

hmm...i guess the hagwon wanted me to have a variety of things to show them then ^^;

how many pieces of art did you have in your portfolio?

yeah, i'm relatively "behind" my friends who graduated high in '04 with me and are now graduating in '08, while i won't be graduating until 2010. i spent 3 years at a community college (1.5 years of GEs and biochem/1.5 years of core art classes and electives) and transferred in as a sophomore. That basically makes me a 4th year college student with sophomore standing. so yeah, two more years and i'll be graduating spring 2010 at 23.

concerning portfolio pieces, it's helpful to check online, but i'd really recommend attending a national portfolio day. they give you huge insight into each school's specific requirements and will tell you what or what not to include. and if your work is good enough, they'll even accept you on the spot during the review. =]

i'm a graphic design major, btw. photography's just a hobby. =]

^ i wanted to go to the national port day that was held last year at mica, but i didn't even know about it until the week before, and i didnt have much, and then my mom couldn't drive me there so...yeah T_T

but is port day the last time a college can see you portfolio? because my friend who went told me that she saw some people get accepted on the spot.

oh no, i'm not going to the mica summer camp. and i'm a sophmore, so if i do visit any colleges it will be next year : |
eh..i'm not sure about my portfolio because ihavent been seriously considering art as a college major until recently so all projects, paintings, drawings,e tc i do are of asian celebrities that i like, and i think colleges like variety but whatever.

what will you apply to major in?

^
^port day is deeefinitely not the last day a college would want your portfolio. you need to send them your portfolio along with your application. since youre considering mica, they should have specific requirements for it during applications..
portfolio day is just so you can check out what colleges like, what they require, and see if they like you and if you stand a chance at all. its also a possibility to get accepted on the spot, two of my friends got accepted on the spot during portfolio day once.
so yea, port day is a biiig plus, not required, but def suggested :]

Woooooot Art majors ;D. Industrial designer here! *hopefully* lolz...

@Orangebubbles: I hope this page can help ya. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/arts-majors/

you go girl! wow these are the longest
posts i've ever seen. if you learn any new
art college secrets, you know who to share it with!

i'm not that much of a help, but if you want to
you can visit the papers on my closet anytime!

hey i went to art hagwon too i'm a senior and going into graphic/communcation design...heard back from few schools so far...

most schools want to see a variety, because they look for potential, so i put in everything from painting (loose + ordinary paintings to surrealistic ones), drawings, figure drawing, mixed media, 3d work, photography, and some graphic design work.

focus on creativity, experiment a lot (different medias and ideas), and don't focus TOO much on how "complete" (완성도) it looks (lot of korean hagwons tend emphasize this a little bit too much...but it still is a important factor)

but! research the schools you're applying to, and research what they prefer to see in their portfolio. parsons said that they didn't want to see graphic design work, so i didn't put that in, where as a school like art center only want to see work related to your major (since that school has no foundation year).

national portfolio day helps, some give you really good advice and tell you what kind of things they are looking for in your portfolio...i found it helpful so i even went to the seattle one (i live in vancouver)

well, i made my own "art" club at school, we sold our artwork at school events and painted the windows of the school for events, and i also am the teacher assistant for the graphic design class, i designed t-shirts and posters for school events and i received art awards from the school...

i kind of went to the extreme, but i took summer school & challenged a course for some of my academic courses so i could fit more art courses into my schedule...

depends on what major you are thinking of going into...for example, parsons is obviously famous for fashion design, and risd is famous for its illustration and graphic design program.

also schools tend to have a kind of "style" that they like to see, SAIC likes the conceptual/fine art type of work, where as other schools might want to see something completely different.


if you want, PM me and i'd be glad to help you out with anything.

BFA: maybe in drawing... undecided
Hahaha your parents sound like mine
my dad wanted me to go into science or business.. doing either management or medical
+_+ he still hopes that i will change my mind and is quite vocal about

you want to go into fashion?? you will prob want to take some drawing classes.... i know the first year classes do alot of life drawing.. its definately good practice since fashion design requires alot of loose drawings in their designs.. there is alot of movement in the drawings, even if they are just of clothes
fast life drawings... like the gesture drawings would be especially good for that kind of thing
I used to want to go into fashion but i got too lazy with the sewing half
especially since i didnt have a surger =_=

what alot of people at my college have a tendency to do is to take the visual arts diploma for a basic foundation and then go into the graphic arts program for advertising

but if u are thinking of first year classes for drawing they are mainly in charcoal, and pastels with the majority of your work done from life and observation rather than photographs
drawing from photographs just makes you too stiff

as for portfolio's i'm not sure about other schools but i put in a couple of my project thumbnails in with my sketchbook

I was a Studio Art Major from a private liberal arts college, but concentrated on graphic and web design. I've been working in the Advertising industry for a while now. If you have any specific questions about that feel free to ask me.

I believe in a liberal arts education that does more than teach you tools, software, or specific areas of study. I think all artists should have a concrete foundation in the studio arts (painting, life drawing, sculpture, etc.), and art history before they go on to other areas. You gotta have the fundamentals of being an artist. Too many schools concentrate on teaching the tools, software, and methods (which change often) while neglecting the conceptual and strategy. They turn into trade/vocational schools instead of what they should be teaching - the thinking and overall big picture. I won't argue that to make a living with an Art Degree is difficult. If you go the graphic/web design way you will probably make the most money out of most of your art colleges...but it may be less fulfilling. Other typical options are teaching, or if you're good, getting your art shown in galleries and doing shows. I've also had friends get into companies that do concept art for video games/movies, or comics.

do you guys think its neccesary to have a degree to get a job in the design industry?



So what do you do in the advertising industry? design wise, web designs? flyer design? is it hard? hows the pay? I'm a little reluctant to do art studio as a major due to instability of work after graduation :/

^yeaah, id like to know too, since im in my first year of studying advertising -__-" would you say your job is typical for an advertising graduate? what do you do? was your job hard to find??

If I knew I was going to change majors and go for Graphic design, I would've totally did AP Art in high school. =/ But! I think the challenge is nice. :) I'm a pre-Graphic Design major so technically, I'm not in yet. I still have to take fundamental courses and go through a portfolio review before my uni accepts me as a GD major. I'm getting so paranoid over this because in the beginning, I thought it'd be pretty easy but oh no, no, no, no, no. It's hard. Especially when you intend on doing a double major too.

As most have said, if you want to get into some sort of art/design, you'll have to take basic fundamentals. You'll have to know how to do every single art. It's like how professional dancers learn how to dance every type of dance there is. As an art/design major, you'll basically have to know how to draw or at the very least, learn how to draw.

Depending on what you go into, there are tons and tons and tons of jobs out there but lots will vary both in salary and in atmosphere and just everything in general. As long as you're superbly motivated, it'll do you good. :)

This is semi-random but relates to portfolio and whatnot:

Where do you guys take 'professional' pictures of un-scannable works (works over the average paper size)? Do you guys take pictures of it yourselves or pay professionals to do it?